Trump says UN has to 'get its act together,' UN pushes back

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the United Nations on Tuesday as "not being well run," although he said it has potential, while he stopped U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and ordered a review of the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO.

"It's got great potential and based on the potential we'll continue to go along with it, but they got to get their act together," Trump told reporters. "It's not being well run, to be honest and they're not doing the job."

"A lot of these conflicts that we're working on should be settled, or at least we should have some help in settling them. We never seem to get help. That should be the primary purpose of the United Nations," Trump said.

The U.N. pushed back against Trump's remarks.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "has worked tirelessly to implement many reforms ... to increase efficiency and innovation," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"U.S. support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security," Dujarric said. "The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the U.S. Government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world."

The 15-member U.N. Security Council, of which the U.S. is one of five permanent members, is charged with maintaining international peace and security.

Trump said he was not looking to take away money from the 193-member world body, though he complained that Washington had to pay a disproportionate amount.

Washington is the U.N.'s largest contributor - followed by China - accounting for 22% of the core U.N. budget and 27% of the peacekeeping budget. The U.N. has said the U.S. currently owes a total of $2.8 billion, of which $1.5 billion is for the regular budget. These payments are not voluntary.

UNRWA

Trump's order on Tuesday was largely symbolic and mirrored moves he made during his first term in office, from 2017-2021.

The signing on Tuesday coincided with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing it of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being "involved in terrorist activities."

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said last week that the agency has been the target of a "fierce disinformation campaign" to "portray the agency as a terrorist organization."

The U.S. was UNRWA's biggest donor - providing $300 million-$400 million a year - but former President Joe Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza.

The U.S. Congress then formally suspended contributions to UNRWA until at least March 2025. UNRWA provides aid, health and education services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

The United Nations has said that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and were fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon - killed in September by Israel - was also found to have had a UNRWA job. The U.N. has vowed to investigate all accusations made and repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided.

An Israeli ban went into effect on Jan. 30 that prohibits UNRWA from operating on its territory or communicating with Israeli authorities. UNRWA has said operations in Gaza and West Bank will also suffer.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

During Trump's first term in office he also cut off funding for UNRWA, saying that Palestinians needed to agree to renew peace talks with Israel, and calling for unspecified reforms.

The first Trump administration also quit the 47-member Human Rights Council halfway through a three-year term over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform. The U.S. is not currently a member of the Geneva-based body. Under Biden, the U.S. served a 2022-2024 term.

A council working group is due to review the U.S. human rights record later this year, a regular process. While the council has no legally binding power, its debates carry political weight and criticism can raise global pressure on governments to change course.

Trump's executive order on Tuesday also asks Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review international organizations, conventions, or treaties that "promote radical or anti-American sentiment."

He specified that the U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization should be reviewed first because Washington had previously accused it of anti-Israel bias.

The United States and Israel announced in 2017 they were quitting UNESCO for that reason. Washington has already withheld its funding for UNESCO since 2011, when the body admitted the Palestinians as a full member.

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